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Jamik nodded in agreement. "Kinen is trying to raise money because he won't give the baroness the financial reports. Sessions that used to be free now require some donation to the temple, and with the increase in interest, there are still more than ever. That…manis doing everything but forcing the Priests of the Body to set aside their limits. The real question is why Kinen won't just give Maela Ranndor the documents she needs. What doesn't he want the Primary Patron to see, and how big must it be if he's willing to go to these extremes?"
"I think we all know the answer to that," Farik said. "Just let me know if Action can help in any way. We're trying, but all Paths are seeing changes. Obligation is being worked harder, which means injuries from being tired. I know some of the designers from Action have been helping with clothing repairs for the laundry staff in Obligation. Body and Protection have been taking more dangerous sessions. As for Word? Well, a suspiciously large number have been reassigned to the country temples and altars." He just cocked his head, making it clear that none of that was normal.
"I'm trying to get ahead of that man," Amerlee said, "but I can't. Not if he's keeping me on my back. And with men!" She waved that off, but it wasn't enough to hide Jamik's growl of frustration. "We don't want to send letters," Amerlee went on, "because those could be read, but people do meet at my suite every evening about an hour after dinner when the guardians are training the kids."
"I'll be there," Farik promised. Then he smiled at me. "I also can think of a very innocent way to get messages to me, since we have a student in common. Sorry, Nariana. I'm going to use you."
"I'm ok with that," I assured him.
Then we all went our separate ways. I wasn't quite sure what Amerlee was up to, but I also knew better than to ask in the middle of the hall. Lately, it felt like the "us against them" mentality was increasing, and the problem was that I honestly had no idea which priests counted as "us" and which were "them."
So, as we walked, I kept the conversation light, talking about the furniture I still needed for my extra room and the colors we had decided on. Amerlee mentioned that she would gladly help me pay for it, because she knew that we needed the space. I tried to refuse, but she reminded me that mothers were allowed to spoil their daughters, and I had nothing to say to that.
Then when we reached my door, Jamik whispered that we'd talk more about what was going on in training. He also made it very clear that I would be at training right after dinner, because something had happened today. I didn't know what until I got home and Wraythe explained about the High Priest of Inspiration storming into our temple. He only knew what Ursula had told him, which still left a lot of holes. From the sounds of it, though, Ela, Anver, and Talin had heard about this already.
So, after grabbing something to eat, I made time to go to the Salle. It had been far too long since I'd been down here, and yet I always meant to come. It was just that the days no longer had enough hours in them to do everything, and the guys had stopped pushing at some point. Still, when I saw the petite woman called Ursula sparring with Zeal, my feet paused and my mouth dropped open.
She fought like nothing I'd ever seen before. Sure, she'd explained the basics of her style to me before, but watching it in action was completely different. Against a god? I was floored. The way she moved was calm and efficient. Her legs were as effective as her arms, and she didn't rely on a weapon to stop him. Zeal also wasn't winning.
The pair shuffled back and forth across the sandy training ring. Once, Zeal dropped her to the ground, but Ursula flipped herself back to her feet like a gymnast. And in the end, she ended up dropping Zeal and wrapping her legs around his neck in a choke hold he couldn't break out of, even though they were both panting for breath.
"I concede," Zeal said.
Which made all of the guardians watching murmur in surprise. I had a feeling Zeal hadn't been using all of his divine abilities, but that didn't matter. He had the kind of experience the rest of us could only dream of. Six hundred years of it, to say the least. He also seemed to know that I was here.
The pair separated and got to their feet, dusting off their clothes just as I made it to the rail. Zeal pointed over at another guardian, Harlin, then gestured for me to enter the ring. Obediently, I did.
"There were two men at your session," Zeal said. "If the son had tried to attack, Talin could not have held off both."
"I could've," Talin promised.
"Without killing someone," Zeal added. "You, Nari, aren't as physically strong as these men. Neither is Ursula. She also fights in a way that doesn't require her to be."
"Ok," I agreed. "But I've been working with her."
Zeal smiled. "Not enough. I need you to learn faster, and you do when youcareabout the lesson. Even faster when it will spare your guardians. So make more time for this." Then he turned to Harlin. "I want you to play the part of the attacker. Hurt her, my friend. Ursula, you will call a hold when you need to stop to train her." Then my god looked over at Talin. "And you will work on grappling with Wraythe."
Talin groaned at that. "Well, that's one way to keep me distracted."
"And him," Zeal pointed out. "Anver, I need you to make sure Ela is as deadly with a rapier as possible. It's close enough to his cane to count."
"Wait," I begged. "Why? I know Inspiration came to the temple. I know things are happening. The problem is that I don't know what."
My words had the general murmur of conversation falling silent as everyone in the room turned to hear the answer. I glanced back, wondering if I'd said that too loud. I was sure I hadn't, yet it seemed everyone wanted to know the same thing: what was going on in our temple?
"Actions have effects," Zeal said. "Calseth has reached a tipping point." He paused, making a face. "At least, from my perspective it has. For almost a century, those with power have been taking more from those without. The system is broken, Nari. You saw it first, but it's not just the temple. It's not simply faith. This nation was built on the idea of the gods making the laws and handing out the punishments. When we left, someone stepped in to fill that void."
"The High Priests," I guessed.
He nodded. "And they aren't all interested in giving that power back. Kinen wants luxuries. Others want control, to delegate away the distasteful things, or to hold the pieces together. The problem is that the temples got used to being without us. They call it a tradition, and Calseth has grown comfortable with things working as they always have - even if that's not true. We slipped away so slowly that it was easy to miss the change."
"But why now?" I asked. "What has changednowthat has everyone tense?"
It was Harlin who answered. "When Maela refused to pay the tithe, the other temples got worried. When Kinen made that public, the other barons got ideas. The tithe isn't a few hundred gold, Nari. It's millions. Enough for each baron to live for the rest of his life in luxury, or a single temple to run for a year."
"And I'm back," Zeal added. "Kinen is looking at losing everything. The man has been padding his own pockets with money meant to care for my priests. He hasstolen from me!" The rage rumbling in his voice was palpable. "I will take his position. I will remove his power. I will leave him broke and pathetic, without any hope of a future. He can't show Maela the reports because she will cut back the tithe. He will lose his easy income. He can't refuse to show her the reports because she is strong enough to hold back that money."
"And the High Priest of Inspiration?" I asked.
